A day had passed since the discovery that a high-concentration free ether zone surrounded the Star Celane.
Throughout that time, Taisei, the management magi-brain of the flagship Adriana, maintained constant communication with Kintoki, the management magi-brain of the Atlas. According to their reports, the free ether concentration had remained largely stable.
"I see. So the concentration doesn't necessarily increase as we get closer to Celane," Jin noted. He felt a small wave of relief. If the density had risen any further, he couldn't be certain how even the specialized Atlas would have fared.
Meanwhile, the guard ships Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse continued to map the boundary where the free ether levels spiked. So far, the data supported the hypothesis of a spherical field with a radius of 120 million kilometers centered on the Star Celane.
"I'd like to get to the bottom of why that is eventually," Jin mused, his curiosity piqued by the phenomenon.
＊ ＊ ＊
Another day went by. Jin was fully immersed in the development of a more effective free ether barrier.
"It really has to be magi-type materials," he concluded.
Magi-type materials was a broad term Jin used for metallic alloys containing mithril and components harvested from powerful magical beasts. These materials possessed high conductivity for free ether and contained an abundance of the element themselves. By using mana—or rather, ether waves—one could cause the free ether within them to bond into a mesh-like structure.
This mesh didn't interfere with physical matter, as ether particles were smaller than even subatomic particles. However, if the gaps in this mesh were fine enough, it would reinforce the structure of whatever matter it enveloped. Simultaneously, it would block the passage of "free" ether particles.
"If I recall correctly, the theory states that free ether particles exert a repulsive force on each other when they get too close," Jin recalled. He had studied Hanna's ether theory papers in order to master the use of sub-ether waves.
It was similar to how a water-repellent mesh, if fine enough, could scoop up water without letting it leak through. Jin was currently trying to find an alloy ratio that would make this mesh as tight and durable as possible.
Aside from hyper adamantite, any material suitable for this barrier would likely possess the highest physical strength in the world. Jin continued to ponder how to improve upon magi-adamantite, which traditionally used a 1.5 percent mithril additive, to achieve even greater results.
With Reiko assisting him, he tested various ratios to analyze the resulting alloy's strength and its reaction to free ether. Before he could reach a final conclusion, a report arrived: the Atlas had reached the target sector.
"Oh, they finally made it!" Jin hurried to the central bridge, with Reiko following close behind.
Displayed on the bridge's large magi-screen was their objective: the second planet, Zipart.
"Any life signs?" Jin asked.
《Yes, My Lord. We are currently conducting a survey.》
The Atlas had entered a parking orbit around Zipart to gather essential data, which included searching for biological signatures.
"Right, I’m counting on you. There’s no need to rush now that we've come this far. Let’s be thorough and move with certainty."
Jin’s last words were directed as much at himself as they were to the magi-brain. Kintoki was operating strictly according to plan; it would only deviate in the event of an emergency.
Images of Zipart flickered across the screen before Jin.
"It looks like there’s an atmosphere."
《Yes, My Lord. It appears to be heavily composed of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, optical sensors cannot penetrate to the surface.》
"It must be incredibly dense."
Because of this, the Atlas was equipped with a "Peeper" telescope that utilized sub-ether waves as a carrier. With an effective range of 100,000 kilometers, it was more than capable of observing the surface from their current orbit.
《According to the Peeping Telescope, no signs of civilization are visible on the surface.》
There were no traces of villages or even simple settlements.
《Small animals and insects have not been detected either. The telescope is unable to confirm the presence of organisms smaller than that.》
"I expected as much. Well, that’s fine for now. What about the satellites?"
《Yes, My Lord. We have currently confirmed twenty-eight satellites orbiting Zipart.》
"That’s... quite a lot."
It was more than Jin had anticipated. The Progenitors had mentioned five, but they were likely only referring to the largest ones.
"Have you found the target satellite yet?" Jin asked, assuming they would locate it within a few orbits.
《Yes. We have identified five likely candidates so far. All of them are rich in mineral resources.》
"I see..."
It seemed that Zipart's satellites were almost exclusively mineral-rich.
"Even so, we can only tow one back. Please select the most beneficial one."
《Understood. Leave it to me.》
The Atlas would complete three full orbits around Zipart to finalize its selection.
＊ ＊ ＊
Another day passed. Jin’s research was moving at a crawl, partly because he couldn't stop worrying about the Atlas's findings.
The latest reports confirmed that they had found nine potential resource-rich satellites, and that Zipart's atmosphere was almost entirely carbon dioxide. Regarding the satellites, Jin decided to simply be glad they had more options. As for the atmosphere, it reminded him of Venus in his old solar system.
"Now, we have to decide on a satellite."
Which of the nine would be the most beneficial? The answer wasn't simple, as it depended on how one defined "beneficial." Did they want a satellite with a balanced variety of all necessary resources, or one that contained vast quantities of materials that were currently scarce on Hale?
They had eventually narrowed the choices down to three candidates, designated as Satellites Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
- Alpha: Contains a balanced, sufficient variety and quantity of all necessary resources.
- Beta: Rich in copper, steel, 64 light silver, mithril, and adamantite. Other elements are sparse.
- Gamma: Abundant in mithril and adamantite. Fair amounts of 64 light silver, steel, and copper. Only trace amounts of precious metals like gold, silver, and white gold.
At first glance, Alpha seemed like the best choice, but the total volume of the most frequently used materials—64 light silver, mithril, and adamantite—was lower than in Beta or Gamma.
"Hmm, which one to pick..."
Due to the environmental impact, Jin intended for this to be the only time they towed a satellite away from Zipart. Though he admitted to himself it might just be his own sense of caution, he didn't want to disturb the system more than once.
"Father, if that is the case, there is also the option of investigating the outer planets," Reiko suggested, offering a helping hand.
"Well, that's true."
Planets orbiting further out than Ars Hale were called outer planets, while those closer to the sun were inner planets. Reiko was pointing out that those outer worlds might hold their own bounty of resources.
"In truth, I’d like to save those for the future."
Jin imagined a far-off era when the resources of Ars were finally exhausted; in that distant future, people would need to look toward those outer planets.
"Besides... it would be so much easier if we could just synthesize matter."
The spiritual lifeforms he had once encountered in extra-dimensional space could manipulate energy and matter at will. If he could do that, he wouldn't have to go through all this effort. Jin offered a wry smile at the thought.
"Actually, the free ether concentration here might be an advantage," he mused.
A concentration ten times higher than the "Free Ether Cloud" could be invaluable for projects requiring immense amounts of energy.
"If only we could establish a base in this orbit."
Whether it was a space station or a large spaceship, it would be ideal if they could travel there via Warp Gate whenever they needed to conduct high-energy experiments.
"I’ll look into it once this resource problem is settled," Jin noted secretly to himself.